Sherburne History Center Blog

  This week is county fair week.   Give or take a few years, we need to note the 132 years of the annual meeting.   Each year, an opportunity presents itself for county farmers and future farmer to gather and share ideas for improved farming.   This gathering also gives them all an opportunity for bragging rights for their own farming prowess. An early fair exhibit in Meadowvale, circa 1900 So, we need to look back at the first meeting of county farmers at the fairs held in Meadowvale.   Starting in 1889, framers would meet for one day in November with the harvest complete and time to explore new ideas and techniques. Then, starting in 1915, the fair moved into Elk River.   First at a location near the corner of today’s Jackson Street and Highway 10.   Later, the fair site moved to land bordering the Mississippi River.   Finally, in 1957, the fair located to the present site on Joplin Street on the western outskirts of Elk River.   The le...

  Conservationist, 4-H advocate, and educator of children and adults; all terms that describe Ella Kringlund in Elk River.   An early promoter of Sherburne County and their natural resources, Ella Kringlund enthusiastically worked to boost conservation.   In the midst of Women’s History Month, it seems appropriate to make record of her life and her mission in Sherburne County. Ella Kringlund is long remembered for her work restoring the land that is today Sand Dunes State Forest.   Her memoirs record her efforts to plant a variety of pine trees in the area.   When her project began in the mid-1940s (and continuing until 1965) each season she organized a tree planting as a 4-H project.   In time, Ella Kringlund and her volunteers planted an estimate seven million trees.   Her efforts proved so successful, a Christmas tree thinning project also developed. By conservation standards in 2000, the trees she planted may not fit the accepted norms.   Ye...